What Does That Mean?

MTHFR A1298C Terminology Basics:

  • MTHFR is the short name for the genes that code for the enzyme that changes folic acid to the active form that your body uses (the long name is methylfolate reductace).
  • 1298 is the marker for one particular MTHFR gene.
  • The official genetics labeling of this gene is Rs1801131
  • At nucleotide 1298 of the MTHFR, there are two possibilities: A or C. 1298A (leading to a Glu at amino acid 429) is the most common while 1298C (leading to an Ala substitution at amino acid 429) is less common. 1298AA is the “normal” homozygous, 1298AC the heterozygous, and 1298CC the homozygous for the “variant”. 
  • You get one copy of this gene from your mother and one from your father, so there are two possible copies that can be either “normal” or “mutant”
  • If you inherited one good copy and one bad copy that’s called “heterozygous A1298C”
  • If you inherited two bad copies (one from each parent) that’s called “homozygous A1298C”
  • A…C stand for the bases that you actually have.  A = adenine C = cytosine.  Bases are essentially the letters that spell out your genetic code.  There are four of them commonly (C, T, A and G).
  • When this gene is “normal”or “wild type” (I love that name) it looks like MTHFR A1298A.
  • Heterozygous mutations (one good copy and one bad) are MTHFR A1298C because there is one normal A and one abnormal C Also occasionally written 1298AC.
  • Homozygous A1298C (two bad copies) can also be written as C1298C (because there are two abnormal copies with C instead of A). Occasionally you’ll also see it written 1298CC

How Much of a Problem Is This?

The MTHFR A1298C mutation is considered less serious than the C677T mutation because it seems to cause less impairment to actual methylation function than C677T.  That doesn’t in any way mean that it isn’t an issue. This mutation can still be a significant problem If you don’t have a good diet, don’t take supplements or burden your body with a lot of stressors like smoking, alcohol, drugs, sedentary lifestyle or high stress. There are certain dietary, lifestyle and supplemental recommendations that help reduce the effects of the A1298C MTHFR mutation.

Heterozygous MTHFR A1298C is thought to have mostly normal MTHFR activity  and homozygous MTHFR A1298C (C1298C) have about 65% normal activity (so 35% compromise). Normal activity refers to the way your body converts folic acid to 5-L-methyltetrahydrafolate (the active form) so that it can be used. Compromise in this case looks like a folate deficiency.

Remember, if you are homozygous A1298C or compound heterozygous MTHFR, the likelihood of your family members also having MTHFR mutations is very high.

Get them tested!

List of Common MTHFR Mutation Variations

This brief list helps to make more sense of the entire concept.

Remember that the mutation can be re-written with both letters at the end (for example C677T = 677CT) or even just the letters with no numbers (for example CT or TT):

  • MTHFR C677C = normal MTHFR gene
  • MTHFR C677T = heterozygous mutation (one mutation)
  • MTHFR T677T = homozygous mutation (two mutations)
  • MTHFR A1298A = normal MTHFR gene
  • MTHFR A1298C = heterozygous mutation (one mutation)
  • MTHFR C1298C = homozygous mutation (two mutations)
  • MTHFR C677T + MTHFR A1298C = a compound heterozygous mutation

Remember that MTHFR mutations don’t directly make you unwell.

But they may cause an exaggerated response to poor diet or lifestyle choices that others can “get away with”.

As the saying goes, “Genes load the gun, environment pulls the trigger.”

What Do You Do About This?

Activated folate is used by your body to run enzyme pathways, to aid in some parts of normal metabolism, to help your body detoxify and even to methylate your DNA. The methylation cycle is also a big part of neurotransmitter manufacture, which explains the strong link to depression, anxiety, and mental disorders including addictions and even schizophrenia. If 5-Methylfolate isn’t there then your body does maintains those functions as best it can, but the things your body can’t do start to pile up. Starting supplementation means your body can start digging in that pile to clear up high priority items.

BIOMEIQ is the only company with a certified line of medical grade supplements designed for MTHFR mutations